BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — Coach Jose Yebra has watched this season as the focus of McAllen Rowe’s offense has drifted from the paint toward the perimeter.
During Tuesday’s district contest against La Joya Palmview, however, the Warriors experienced a brief renaissance. Though Rowe’s new-found knack for jump-shooting prevailed during the second half, it was efficient post play which helped the Warriors to a 48-40 win.
Freddy Ayala led Rowe’s inside presence, scoring a team-high 14 points and collecting 12 rebounds. Ayala did not miss a shot from the field, going a perfect 7-for-7 on the evening.
“The fakes really worked for me tonight,” Ayala said. “Usually we make our shots from the outside, but they weren’t really falling at first. So, we went inside and tried to get good looks that way. This game wasn’t perfect, but we’re starting to get more in-and-out on offense.”
It was all inside game for Rowe during the early going. Along with teammate Dominic Clarke, Ayala was responsible for the entirety of the Warriors’ 12 first-quarter points. The pair was relentless on the glass, and helped Rowe to a one-point lead after the first eight minutes. Clarke finished with 12 points.
The matchup between District 30-6A foes was closely contested from start to finish. No team led by more than double digits, and the score was tied at 31 headed into the final quarter.
“The coaches kept telling us it was zero to zero,” Ayala said. “We just tried to finish the game the way we started it.”
Not quite. Though Rowe (17-9, 3-1) came away with the victory, it was thanks in part to clutch free throw shooting from guard Alex Keith, who went 7 of 8from the foul line during the closing seconds of put the game away. Keith finished with 11 points.
Kaleb Garza contributed all three of the Warriors’ makes from behind the arc.
Rowe led 43-40 with 35.5 seconds remaining. Though Palmview attempted to rally, the Lobos (14-11, 2-1) faltered due to missed opportunities. First came a turnover followed by an offensive foul on Armando Alaniz on a Palmview inbounds play. Instead of get a chance to tie, it resulted in another pair of Keith free throws.
“We just didn’t execute down the stretch,” Palmview coach Andy Saenz said. “We knew this game was going to be close either way, no one was going to blow anyone out. This is just a learning experience for us. We have to move on and continue to get better.”
Palmview’s leading scorer, guard Jacob Salinas, was held in check for the duration of the game. Though Salinas entered Tuesday averaging nearly 24 points per game, he finished with just nine, attempting only five shots.
“We wanted to limit him at all costs,” Yebra said. “We know how dangerous he is and how much he does for that offense, so we focused on getting the ball out of his hands and keeping them out. And if he got a shot up, to make sure that was the only shot he took.”
As the march towards the postseason continues, Ayala says he hopes to see more games like Tuesday, focused, energized and complete with a balanced offensive attack.
“We just need a few more of those 3s to go in,” Ayala said. “Once that happens, we’ll be good.”